In networking environments such as those used in telecommunication and/or data centers, a switch fabric is utilized to rapidly move data. Typically a switch fabric provides a communication medium that includes one or more point-to-point communication links interconnecting one or more nodes (e.g., endpoints, switches, modules, blades, boards, etc.). The switch fabric may operate in compliance with industry standards and/or proprietary specifications. One example of an industry standard is the Advanced Switching Interconnect Core Architecture Specification, Rev. 1.1, published November 2004, or later version of the specification (“the ASI standard”).
Typically a switch fabric in a telecommunication and/or data center environment includes a switch fabric management architecture to maintain a highly available communication medium and to facilitate the movement of data through the switch fabric. As part of a typical switch fabric management architecture, one or more nodes provide a service to manage/control at least a portion of each node's switch fabric configuration as well as the communication links that interconnect the nodes coupled to the switch fabric (e.g., via spanning tree or fabric ownership). These nodes may be denoted as fabric owners and are well known by the other nodes of the switch fabric. Fabric owners are typically located on an endpoint (e.g., a node coupled to the edge of the switch fabric) with adequate resources to support fabric owner services, e.g., processing power, memory, communication bandwidth, etc.
In addition to a fabric owner service, the switch fabric management architecture also includes various other services to support management activities for elements that process and/or forward data through and/or between one or more nodes coupled to a switch fabric. These services, for example, may be hosted by the same endpoints hosting a fabric owner service and/or may be hosted by one or more other endpoints with adequate resources to support or host one or more services. A typical service has its own set of messages which fit the functional requirements of that service and which together form a protocol for interaction with the service. Clients or consumers of a service send a request message to the service and receive a response message from the service.